Apparatus for heating projectiles



Sept. 12, 1944. +1. w. SHONNARD 5 APPARATUS HEATING PROJECTILES FiledJuly 27, 1942- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 12, 1944. H. w. SHONNARD APPARATUSFOR HEATING PROJECTILES Filed Jul 27, 1942 2 SheetS-Sheet 2 PatentedSept. 12, 1944 r 1 lg,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FORK HEATING PROJECTILES Harold W.Shonnard, Washington, D. 0..

Application July 27, 1942, Serial No. 452,511 V (01. 263-7) 12 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for heating projectiles.

Heretofore it has been proposed to revolve the projectile within agear-driven open ended cylindrical member which is carried by thefurnace and which is supported on rollers in'a port of the furnace.It'also has been proposed in this type of apparatus to provide a taperedpassage surrounding the projectile within the furnace wall with thenarrow portion of the tapered passage being located within the furnace.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus forheating an end of a projectile in a circular rotatable furnacepreparatory to closing in the said end of the projectile to form theogive portion thereof, with means for revolving and for simultaneouslyfeeding the inner end of the projectile radially and progressively intothe heating zone of the furnace while the furnace is being continuouslyrotated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus inwhich a stationary friction means is in direct contact with theprojectile to cause the projectile to revolve in line with its own axiswhen a furnace is rotated, with means for progressively feeding theprojectile radially into the heating zone for the purpose ofprogressively heating the inner end of the projectile along apredetermined distance rearwardly from the inner end of the projectile,the inner end of the projectile being uniformly heated entirely aroundthe said end in a simple and inexpensive manner.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus forheating the end of the projectile which extends into theheating zone ofthe furnace with a portion of the projectile being disposed within apassage of the Wall of the furnace with the passage having an expandedend leading into the furnace and with the passage progressivelydecreasing in width from its inner end towards the outer wall of thefurnace, stationary friction means being employed for causing rotationof the projectile when the furnace is rotated.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an apparatusfor heating the end of the projectile which is extended into the heatingzone of a rotatable furnace with means for progressively moving theprojectile inwardly for approximately 360 degrees of the rotation of thefurnace, cooperating means being employed for causing rotation of theprojectile during its progressive inward movement with means for caus--ing one of the cooperating members to be moved to an inoperativeposition atthe discharge end of the circular travel of the projectileand at the feeding portion of'the' circuit of the projectile. p

This invention will behest understood from a consideration .of thefollowing detailed description, in View of the accompanying drawingsforming a part of the specification; nevertheless, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, beingsusceptible of such changes and'modifications as define no materialdeparture from the salientfeatures of the invention as expressed in theappended claims.

In the drawings; g I g Figure 1 is a plan view of a furnace partly in'section showing the construction of my improved apparatus for heatingprojectiles.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken alongthe line 2.2 ofFig. 1.

Figure 3.is a side view partly in section of the furnace. r

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front view showing in detail the feeding anddischarge ports for the projectiles. n I

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l0 designates a circularouter-Wall which is formed of a ring ofmetal and an inner wall I lformed of fire resistant material which extends down-5 wardly and mergesinto a horizontal base mem ber l2. This base member which forms thebottom of the furnace. is supported in any approved manner by means ofreinforcements such as angle irons l3 The top of the furnace as shown atI4 is also formed of fire resistant materials and is dome-shaped asshown in Figs. 2 and 3.

A circular member 15 formed of metal has an annular-side wall l6 and abottom portion I1.

The annular side wall is provided with a flange l8 which is secured tothe member ID.

The bottoml'l of'the member'lE is provided with an annular ring20adapted to rest upon a plurality of rollers 2| which are mounted inbearings 22 supported in turn upon the floor or foundation 23 of abuilding. These rollers are spaced a predetermined distance apart forprop erlyv supporting the furnace when it is revolved.

A ear 25 is mounted in bearings 26 also supported by the foundation andthis gear is re volved by a shaft 21 that'in turn is rotated by a gear28 meshing with a gear 29 that is driven by a shaft 30. The shaft isrevolved by any well k own form of motor at a predetermined speed. Anannular'r'ack or ring gear 3| is secured to the bottom' ll'of thefurnace and meshes with the gear so that when said gears are revolvedthe furnace will likewise be revolved.

A plurality of supports generally designated by the numeral is locatedaround the furnace and these supports rest upon the foundation or floor23 for a purpose which will be presently explained.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 it will be seen that a pluralityof ports or passages 36 is formed in the wall II and there .areapproximately sixteen of these ports. Since each port is similarlyconstructed a description of one will be sufficient. The inner end ofeach port which opens into the furnace chamber generally designated bythe numeral 31 is "expanded and the I port progressively tapers inwardlyto a point indicated by the numeral 38. Thus it will "be seen that whena shell 39 is inserted through a port with the inner end of the shellextended partially into the furnace, the expanded portion of the portwill permit progressive heatin of the shell from its inner :end towardan intermediate portion; A cup-shaped member "which is formed of metalis set inwardly of the circular outer wall I0 and also inwardlyof themember I5 so that the member 40 will form the outer face of thesectionof the furnace and will embrace the outer end of the port 36.This member is rectangular in shape and is provided with flanges 4|; 42and 43 at its edges and these flanges are secured to the contactingflanges 44 on the member ID and the flange 1-8 of the member -I 5.

In "each port adjacent the bottom and supported by the flanges 43 are apair of rollers "45 mounted in bearings carried by brackets 46.Thesebracketsare-supported by the flange 43 of the member 40. an

A thrust roller 41 is also located within-the confines of the flanges onthe member-40 and is'supported by a shaft 48 which is secured -to thehousing or member 40. The object of the thrust rolleris to maintain theshell -39 inradial alinement with the axis of the furnace while-theshell i being revolved in the port 36 in a mannerwhich will be presently.explained. 1

"Ihestationaryringfll is secured to the tops 35a of the supports 35 inspaced relation around th furnace, and this ring is concentric withthevertical axis of the furnace. The shells 39 are supported intermediatetheir ends on thi ring. and have frictional.contacttherewith so that asthe furnace is revolved the shells will likewise be revolved by thefrictional actionof the ring 50. Ashas been previously explained, thshells are also partly sup orted by the rollers 45. V

A second ring 51 also surrounds the furnace, but this ring is eccentricwith respect to the vertical axis so that one end "52 of this 'ringiscloser to the furnace than the opposite endf53. The end 52 terminatesadjacent an unloading station 54 through which the shellsare withdrawnfrom the furnace, after which they ar carried by the rollers 55 toapoint where the inner ends of the'shells are finished in the usualmanner.

The rollers 55an'd theside bars 55a form a discharge conveyor generallydesignated by the numeral 56. The conveyor 56 is supported by standardslio'lo'cated outwardly of the furnace and the; standards'aredispose'dbeneath the conveyor and rest upon the floor 23. This conveyorgenerally'is located along a radial line of the furnace.-- i r Thefeeding conveyor 51 is also provided with a plurality ofrollersfl uponwhich the 0001 shells 39 are moved-into the adjacent port 36 by theoperator of the furnace at the feeding station 51a.

The shells 39 have a reduced portion 62 at their outer ends and a bossor reduced cylindrical portion 63. At the outer end of'the cylindricalportion is provided a flange 64 in the form of a disk. The boss isadapted to be engaged by tongs when the operator inserts the shells intothe ports 36 successively alining with the feeding station 51a andremoves the shells from said ports as they reach th unloading station54.

When the furnace is revolved the shells at the feeding station 51a arelocated with their base ends or shoulders 39a in contact with the innersurface of the vertically disposed flange 65, as shown at the right inFig. 1. revolves and carries the shell from th feeding station 51aaround to the dischargeconveyor 56, the shells will be moved radiallyinwardly of their ports in a progressive manner so that when the shellreaches the unloading station 54 which is in line with the conveyor 56the shell will'have reached its innermost position. Thus it will beseenthat the shells are not only moved progressively inwardly into thefurnace, but they. are progressively heated from-their inner ends toward their intermediate portions.

In order to maintain the shells in frictional contact with theconcentric ring 50 a pivoted weighted member generally designated by thenumeral 10 exerts a constant pressure on the shells during the rotationexcept when the shells reach the unloading station when they are movedfrom their operativepositions with the shells.

A weighted member -'|0 is locatedadjacent each port 36. "Theweighted-member consists of a rod H which has a T-shaped-arm l2mounted'at its ends in bearings 13 which are formed on the side walls ofthe housing which embraces the outer end of-each port. A roller l4 ismounted -for rotation at theinner "end of the rodll V and bears upon theouter periphery of theshell 39 when the rod is in its lower position asshown in'Fig. 3 or in dotted lineposition in Fig. 2.

A second roller 15 isrevolubly mounted on the outer end of the rod 15and maintained in place by means'of collars l6 and 11. The roller 15together with the arm Hand the associated parts acts"as a weight tomaintain the roller 14 in frictional contact with the cylindricalsurface of the shell 39.

A cam track generally designated by the numeral is carried by thesupports 35 and is 10-- cated adjacent-thedischarge and feeding stationsof the furnace. The member '80 is formed of an angle iron which is :bentat-8l to provide' an inclined portion 82 of the track. The member 80 isalso bent at 83 to provide a second inclined track 84. The member 80 isso positioned with respect to the outer roller 15 that the inner edge--of the roller as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 will rideupon the horizontalflange of the angle iron.

However, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3 the roller 14' willbe' in contact with the shelluntil the roller 15 reaches the inclinedportion 82 whencersaid roller will ride upwardly and then ride upon thehorizontal portion 85 of the member 80 whence said weighted'member 19,will be of frictional contact with the shell so that the' shell may "bereadily inserted or removed as has been explained.

As the furnace "Thle operation o of my device is as follows: Thefurnace, after having been brought to the required temperature, is thenset in motion and it will revolve clockwiseas indicated by the arrow'in-Fig. 1 by the rotation of the gear 25 which meshes with the ring gear3|. During: rotation of the furnace each of the weighted levers 10 israised in succession upon contact of their respective rollers 15 withthe inclined portion 82 of the member 80 and the roller will continueupwardly until it reaches the horizontal portion 85 whence it willremove the roller 14 out of contact with the heated shells 39 as theypass the discharge station 54.

.As the shells are carried toward the furnace by the conveyor 51insuccession they are pushed manually through the alined ports'36 so thatthe shell will partially rest upon the rollers 45 and also upon theconcentric track 50 with the inner end of the shell just "projectingslightly into the furnace. The baseend of the shell at the feedingstation is maintained outwardly against the positioning member 86 sothat the said base end of the shell will be engaged by theinner surfaceof the flange 65 at'theend 53 of the eccentric member 1 As the portwhich has been alined with the feeding station 51 moves away as thefurnace rotates, the shell will be gradually forced inwardly toward thecenter until it reaches its maximum inward position at the unloading ordischarge station 56. However, as the furnace moves the port which hasbeen alined withthe feeding station away therefrom the roller 75 willmove downwardly on the inclined portion 84 of the cam track 80 until theroller M rests in frictional contact with the shell. At this time theroller 15 acts as a weight and moves freely through space with therotating furnace, while at the same time exerting pressure through theroller M on the shell. The weight of the lever or arm and the roller onthe shell maintains the shell in frictional contact with the concentrictrack or ring 55 whereby the shell will be revolved constantly whilebeing moved progressively inwardly by the eccentric track 5!. As eachshell completes,the cycle of substantially one revolution of the furnacean operator at the unloading station 56 withdraws the projectile andpasses it from the unloading station platform or chute 54 to the rollerconveyor 51 whence it is transferred to the final operation of nosing bymeans of any of the well known methods.

I claim:

1. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace, astationary means supporting the other end of the shell for causingrotation of said shell when the furnace is rotated, and means forretaining the shell in frictional contact with the stationary means.

2. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which 7 one end of the shell is extended into thefurfurnace for approximately 360 degrees, and

means for moving the retaining means'to an inoperative position when theshell is being fed into the port and when said shell is beingdischarged;

' 3. In a rotary furnace. for heating a shellof a projectile and havinga port through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,a stationary means engageable with the shell for causing rotation ofsaid shell when the furnace is rotated, means for retaining the shell infrictional contact with the stationary means, means feeding the shellinto the port, a discharging means for the shell adjacent the feedingmeans, and means for rendering the retaining. means inoperative when theport passes the feeding and discharging means during the rotation of thefurnace. r

4. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the'shell is..extended into the furnace, astationary means iengageable: with the shell for causing rotation ofsaid shell when the furnace is rotated, means for retaining the shell infrictional contact with. the stationary means, a. feeding means and adischarging means in close association, said retaining means includingan arm pivoted at one end and a weight at the free end thereof forpressing'the arm against the shell and a cam means at the feeding anddischarging meansfor raising the arm out of contact with the shell whenthe rotary furnace carries' said shell to the discharging means.

5. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,means for moving the shell through the port during a single rotation ofthe furnace while progressively extending the innerend' of said shellinto the furnace a predetermined distance, a stationary means forcausing rotation of the shell around its longitudinal axis and pivotallymountedmeans for retaining the shell in frictional contact with thestationary means.

6. In a rotary furnace for heating a shellof a projectile and having aport through which one end of, the shell is extended into the furnace,means for moving the shell through the port during a single rotation ofthe furnace while progressively extending the inner end of said shellinto the furnace a predetermined distance, a stationary means forcausing rotation of the shell around its longitudinal axis and aweighted arm pivoted at one'end on the furnace adjacent the port andresting on the shell for retaining said shell in frictional contact withthe stationary means.

7. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,

shells, a weighted arm pivoted at one end on the furnace adjacent theport and resting on the shell for retaining said shell in frictionalcontact with the stationary means, and means for causing the arm to bemoved to an inoperative position when the port passes the feeding anddischarging means as the furnace is rotated.

8. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace, a

stationary supportfor the furnace, a circular track'arranged concentricwith the axis of rotae tion of the furnace and secured to the supportfor partially supporting the shell for causing rotation of said shellwhen the furnace is rotated, means cooperating withthe circular trackfor supporting a shell out of contact with the walls of the port andmeans for causing rotation of the furnace.

9. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,

said port being progressively expanded from an intermediate portion tothe inner end thereof so that the inner end of the shell and thatportion of the shell within the expanded portion of the port will besubjected to the heat of the furnace and means for causing rotation ofthe shell when the furnace is rotated.

10. In a rotary furnace for heating. a shell of a projectile and havinga port through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,astationary support for the furnace, a stationary circular track arrangedsubstantially concentric with the vertical axis of the furnace andsecured to the support for partially supporting the shell and forcausing said shell to revolve when the furnace is rotated and astationary guide member arranged eccentric to the axis of the furnaceand aifixed to the furnace supportfor progressively moving the shell onthe longitudinal axis thereof substantially in a horizontal plane, andradially of the furnace toward the axis-of the furnace when the furnaceis being rotated.

11. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,stationary means in frictional contact with said shell for partiallysupporting the said shell in said port and for causing the said shell torevolve when the furnace is being rotated and means for increasing thedegree of frictional contact between said shell and the said supportingmeans.

12. In a rotary furnace for heating a shell of a projectile and having aport through which one end of the shell is extended into the furnace,stationary means in frictional contact with said shell for partiallysupporting the said shell in said port and for causing the said shell torevolve when the furnace is being rotated, means for increasing thedegree of frictional contact between said shell and the said supportingmeans and means for automatically causing the means for increasing thedegree of frictional contact between the said shell and the saidsupporting means to cease functioningat a predetermined location in thecycle of rotation of the furnace.

HAROLD W. SHONNARD.

